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The market for TV shows with strong female leads has always been there, but it seems that Hollywood has only recently begun recognizing it. Some of the best TV shows with a strong female lead have been made only in the last decade or so. While women were always found in matriarchal roles on sitcoms and dramas like The Nanny or Roseanne, they often weren’t given roles outside of being a motherly figure.
Of course, there are exceptions to that, but you’d be hard-pressed to find as many great female-led shows from back then as there are today. Here are 13 of the best TV shows with a strong female lead, updated to include any of the latest releases.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018 – 2020)
As a huge fan of Mad Men, watching Kiernan Shipka’s career go from a young girl with a few lines an episode to a young teenager dictating emotional conversations with her father was amazing. Shipka getting her own show after her performance on Mad Men makes it even more amazing.
The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is a fantastic TV show based on the comic books of the same name. The first season was highly-praised and received a 92% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The season finale shocked viewers but was ultimately well-received. The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is only available for streaming on Netflix.
Wednesday (2022 – )
If you were on TikTok or really any form of social media when Wednesday was released on Netflix, you know how big of a hit this show was. From the scenes of her dancing to her emotionless demeanor, Wednesday Addams and Thing were absolutely everywhere. Jenna Ortega really took the world by storm and revived the popular franchise of The Addams Family.
Wednesday is a TV show about the titular character as she tries to deal with her own internal struggles that plague many teens in high school. Oh, and she also has supernatural powers and is trying to solve a monster murder mystery at her new school for the outcasted. Jenna Ortega absolutely embodies the role of Wednesday and has become the cold-hearted, emotionless, defiant Addams family daughter we all know and love.
This show is a must-see if you haven’t already. It’s only one of three Netflix shows to cross the 1 billion hours viewed mark and was the second most-watched show in the US behind Stranger Things. You can stream the first season on Netflix right now— and it’s highly suggested that you do so.
Orange is the New Black (2013 – 2019)
If you’re interested in bingeing a show that’s already over so you don’t have to wait years for the finale, Orange is the New Black might be your best bet. It doesn’t exactly get more female leady than a TV show based around the memoir of a woman’s experience in a female-only correctional facility.
While there are still, of course, male characters and love interests, the main story revolves around Piper Chapman, played by Taylor Schilling, and her time at a Litchfield, Connecticut, prison. Other notable cast members include Laura Prepon, who you might remember from That 70’s Show as Donna Pinciotti, and Samira Wiley from The Handmaid’s Tale.
The show follows Chapman’s life on the inside and the lives of other inmates locked up with her. Besides great acting, funny moments, and heartbreaking romances, one of the best aspects is not knowing why everyone is in prison and having to piece it together through personal flashbacks every episode. You can stream this show on Netflix and see for yourself why the first season alone was nominated for 12 different Emmys.
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Killing Eve (2018 – 2022)
Another show that’s finished and ready for bingeing, Killing Eve is a British spy thriller that follows Eve Polastri, a British intelligence investigator played by the famous Sandra Oh. Polastri has been tasked with finding and taking down a skilled assassin named Villanelle, played by Jodie Comer.
The show opened to rave reviews and was nominated for numerous awards. Many critics felt Killing Eve was a fresh new take on spy thrillers and offered a good dose of comedy mixed in with the drama and killings. While the last two seasons weren’t as highly praised as the first two, it still comes highly recommended by critics and viewers alike, making it an excellent choice if you’re looking for a binge-worthy TV show with a female lead.
The Handmaid’s Tale (2017 – 2024~)
Based on the often-banned novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, The Handmaid’s Tale is a dystopian set TV show based in a world where fertility rates are plummeting and governments are struggling to stay in power. America has fallen to a group of religious nutjobs that believe in everything the bible says. Well, only if it benefits them, that is.
The show follows June, a woman that can still have children, and her time in the new nation of Gillead as a handmaid. Handmaids are Gilead’s invention— fertile women that are given to powerful men to bear them the children their wives cannot. Once they have fulfilled their “duty,” they’re assigned to a new house, and the horrid cycle continues.
June, played by Elisabeth Moss, is continually fighting for survival in Gilead against a multitude of dangers— including her commander’s wife, played by Yvonne Strahovski. Delve into the tragic lives June and the other handmaids face in this dystopian future that many have drawn parallels to the possible future we face today.
The Handmaid’s Tale has been renewed for a final 6th season, most likely to be released in 2024. Stream it now on Hulu and get caught up before the final episode comes out next year.
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997 – 2003)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer is one of a few shows from the 90s that are considered to be hallmarks of the best TV shows with female leads. While it wasn’t given a lot of attention at award shows, it still pulled in millions of viewers and has maintained a large following to this day.
The show follows Buffy Summers, played by Sarah Michelle Gellar, as she struggles to maintain her normal life and follow her destiny of being a vampire slayer. You might remember Gellar from the live-action Scooby-Doo movies released in 2002 and 2004, where she played Daphne, which is an ironic role since her gang of friends that help her fight evil in Buffy the Vampire Slayer refer to themselves as the Scooby Gang.
You can watch this vampire slaying show on Hulu or on the Roku channel for free if you have a Roku device.
Seven Seconds (2018)
Those looking for a sort of one-season miniseries would do well to check out Seven Seconds. Not only does this show feature a strong female lead, with Clare-Hope Ashitey playing the main character, but it was also created, produced, and run by Veena Sud, an excellent Canadian female director.
Seven Seconds deals with dark themes such as racial division, the indifference of police officers to minority homicides, and the cover-up of the century. The story begins with a tragic death after a white cop hits and kills a black teenager. Racial tensions run high as the police attempt to cover the accident up and deal with the eventual fallout.
Clare-Hope Ashitey plays an assistant prosecutor who wants to bring justice to the family and see that the crime isn’t swept under the rug. As the show goes on and justice has yet to be found, tensions keep rising throughout the city. You can watch this hit miniseries on Netflix.
The Queen’s Gambit (2020)
Even if you don’t appreciate or understand the game of chess, you can still enjoy this miniseries that features Anya Taylor-Joy in the lead role of one of the most successful Netflix series to date. The Queen’s Gambit features themes of drug addiction, obsession, mental health, coming of age, and more.
Anya Taylor-Joy plays Elizabeth Harmon, an orphan that is a chess prodigy god in 1950s Kentucky. As she struggles to find her place in a male-dominated game, she also struggles with drug and alcohol dependencies on her road to success. Harmon ends up having to rely on her friend Jolene from the orphanage and the support of her foster parents to prepare her for her chess career.
The Queen’s Gambit was Netflix’s top show shortly after its release, and Taylor-Joy received widespread critical acclaim for her amazing performance in the lead role. The Queen’s Gambit is still available for streaming on Netflix.
Swarm (2023 – )
Stalking and obsession with pop stars are nothing new. Hell, there’s a guy who tried to kill President Ronald Reagan just to get the approval of Jodie Foster. That said, a TV show delving into the mind of a young woman struggling to control her impulses and obsession over a fictional Beyonce doppelganger is a fresh new take.
Swarm follows a young woman named Dre, played by Dominique Fishback. Dre is absolutely obsessed with a pop star that has a similar aura to that of Beyonce and has a group of fans called the Swarm. The show delves into the deep, dark places Dre turns to as her obsession turns deadly. Swarm is available on Amazon Prime Video for streaming— just don’t get too sucked in.
Honorable Mentions
The following shows feature strong female characters or leads but are also intertwined with a number of male characters. While this list was meant to focus on TV shows with solely strong female leads, these shows should also be mentioned, as without the female characters, they would not have seen the success that they did.
Parks and Recreation
Parks and Recreation is a great show with a number of female leads that watchers have latched onto over the years. Compared to The Office, where Michael Scott was running the show, we often find ourselves wrapped up in the energetic nature Leslie Knope, played by Amy Poehler, has for small government.
Paired with a number of other memorable characters that are bound to make you laugh, Parks and Recreation is a decent show to put on and mindlessly binge if you’re not looking for a show that needs a serious commitment.
Game of Thrones
While this show is filled with a number of male leads, the female leads and their story arcs are often more interesting and memorable. From Daenerys Targaryen’s rise to queendom to Arya and Sansa Stark’s coming-of-age stories to Brienne of Tarth’s courageous character, Game of Thrones shouldn’t be slept on when it comes to strong female leads.
While the ending may leave a bit to be desired for some, you can still enjoy the transformation these women go through as you watch them from season to season. House of the Dragon is also a great show to check out if you watched Game of Thrones and are looking for a TV show with a female lead.
Mad Men
While Elisabeth Moss is well-known for her role as June in The Handmaid’s Tale, her role as Peggy Olson is an amazing example of a triumphant story arc. As she struggles to survive and be successful in the 1950s-1960s, dominated by sexism, you can’t help but become enthralled by her successes— and failures.
Mad Men’s cast is dominated by men, but Peggy, Betty Draper (January Jones), Joan Harris (Christina Hendricks), and Megan D. (Jessica Paré) all add to this TV series that takes us back to the past. Each of their arcs, problems, and emotional moments are what makes Mad Men so great. Without these strong female characters, Mad Men would just be a boring TV show about a bunch of alcoholics smoking cigarettes.
Wrap Up
Hopefully, you found a TV series you haven’t yet watched on this list of the best TV shows with strong female leads. This is a live list— it will be updated as more and more shows come out with female leads, so be sure to check back on occasion and see if anything new piques your interest. If we missed one of your favorite female-led shows, let us know which show we missed and why you love it.
